Medically assisted suicide is one of those subjects that has many people reconsider previously held views and opinions, especially in a state funded, socialist healthcare system. Tim Moen is back to help us break down what is happening with Canada's MAiD program (Medical Assistance in Death).
In 2016, when the original MAiD legislation was passed, 1,018 people chose to end their life using the program. In 2021, it was up to 10,064, or 3.3% of total deaths in Canada. 31,664 people in total have used Canada's state funded healthcare to end their lives.
Like anything, there are good arguments on both sides of this discussion. Individual autonomy and self-determination are among the values we hold most paramount. What one person decides to do with their self is really none of my business, as long as they are not aggressing against anyone else. And, let's be honest, people are perfectly capable of taking their own lives, with or without approval from anyone else.
On the other hand, and without getting too much into the weeds here, we all believe in the sanctity of life. It's never easy to hear that someone has chosen to end their own life. Even though we may understand the pain they might endure to continue living, we may often disagree with their decision.
The problem really becomes clear once the State is involved.
Anyone who might otherwise object to this sort of program on religious or ethical grounds, are still forced to participate by paying for it through taxation. Even Doctors who would not be willing to participate in MAiD are forced to by referring their clients to someone who will.
Then, of course, there is the general problem of disincentives inherent in any socialized system. The overall unworkability of Canadian healthcare was blatantly exposed by its inability to deal with Covid, and there have been multiple instances of seniors accessing MAiD services rather than living through more government lockdowns.
Then there are the Canadian Veterans coming forward with stories of being offered medically assisted suicide in lieu of being given the proper treatment and support that they require. These are the people our government has engaged to put their lives in danger in service of this country, one of them a Paralympian who needed help getting up the stairs.
Now the Government of Canada is looking to expand the MAiD program to include mental illness as a sole factor which qualifies a person for medically assisted suicide.
To normal people, the ethical contradictions of State sponsored suicide are obvious. We've seen the number of people die through this program multiply by ten times a year since it's inception. Then to expand the program to include mental illness, a symptom of which is often suicidal tendencies, and to expect that number to continue to grow, seems horrifying.
Tim and I discuss how a truly free market could solve some of these problems.
Episode #26 with Tim Moen